"If you look at this case, Marjorie Diehl Armstrong really was the one that came up with the idea to get the money from the bank to pay Ken Barnes to kill her father to get an inheritance," he added. After he robbed a PNC Bank in Summit Township, Erie County, he was stopped by state police in a parking lot with the bomb still strapped around his neck. [35], WJET-TV, Erie's ABC affiliate, broadcast the event live on the air, but did not show the moment of the detonation due to a technical problem. Brian Douglas Wells (November 15, 1956 - August 28, 2003) was an American man who died after becoming involved in a complex plot involving a bank robbery, a scavenger hunt, and a homemade explosive device. The defense noted that Wells only took $8,701 from the bank. http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/news/a858320/evil-genius-ending-jessica-hoopsick-confession-jerry-clark-bill-rothstein/. Swank said that he told Hoopsick that her name sounded familiar and asked if she had ever been arrested in Greensburg. Two conspirators Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong and Kenneth Barnes were ultimately convicted of conspiracy and armed bank robbery charges in connection with the collar bomb case. Brian Douglas Wells Evil Genius tells the story of the pizza bomber heist and the murder of Brian Wells in 2003. Like many in the beginning, I felt he was a part of this, but because I got in early and stayed with it the length of time I did, my opinion was able to evolve. "Quite honestly if you look at co-defendants, witnesses and everyone else we talked to related to having any information in the case, there is nothing in Jessica's statement that appears to be accurate," he told TMZ. When Jessica Hoopsick, a hooker and intimate friend of Wells, was interviewed for Evil Genius, she told Trey Borzillieri, co-producer of the series, she was approached to find a gopher who could be scared into robbing a bank. The device had several decoys, such as unconnected wires, a toy cell phone, and stickers bearing deceptive warnings. He had no parts in the planning. While some of them were guilty of their crime, it's heartbreaking to see one who swears he's innocent show a parole board evidence to support his claim, only to have them promptly disregard it. We could do a Good Genius, too., The best documentaries are enlightening, infuriating and sometimes even frightening Making a Murderer certainly was. Magazines, Capture a Year of Painand Resiliencein Ukraine, Or create a free account to access more articles. The child she alleges to have had by Brian Wells would be her youngest known child. Swank, assisted by patrolmen Hank Fontana Jr. and Chase Mollomo, took Hoopsick into custody when she arrived at the parking lot. I want people to know he was innocent., MORE: Why We Are Drawn to True Crime Shows, In the documentary, Hoopsick says a conspirator approached her to find a gopher who could be scared into robbing a bank. "So, if you look at the scheme that way, that was her idea to get the money for that reason. Samantha Maffucci is an associate editor for YourTango. While Netflixs Evil Genius ends with unanswered questions, directors Barbara Schroeder and Trey Borzillieri have clear thoughts on who they think was behind the big heist, and who wasnt. How do you find the beginning inventory for a production budget? Hoopsick is best known for her involvement in the pizza bomber case as the favorite prostitute of Brian Wells, who died when a bomb locked around his neck exploded on Aug. 23, 2003. She claimed she recommended Wells to Barnes for the heist in exchange for drug money, but expressed regret and said Wells had no prior knowledge of the robbery. He had no parts in the planning. After investigation, it was revealed that even if Wells had completed the scavenger hunt, the bomb was rigged in a way that it would have detonated if he attempted to remove it. Hoopsick could not be reached by TIME, despite multiple efforts. New Details About The Woman From 'Evil Genius' On Netflix, A post shared by Strange Matters Podcast (@strangematterspodcast) on Apr 15, 2017 at 5:11am PDT. You can contact Paul at 724-850-2860, ppeirce@tribweb.com or via Twitter @ppeirce_trib. [18], Immediately after his death, investigators searched Wells' house and found a list of people he knew, including two prostitutes unknown to other members of his family. Barnes told her he was willing to do this for US$250,000 (equivalent to $368,262 in 2021). [39], Though the note claimed Wells would gain extra time by each key found, police later traveled the note's route and could not complete it in the allotted time, implying Wells would not have had enough time to get the bomb defused. The case remained a mystery until Diehl-Armstrong and her fishing buddy, Kenneth Barnes, were indicted in 2007 on charges they concocted the plot along with her ex-boyfriend, William Rothstein. They want to try and make themselves look "good" because they had overlooked so much evidence that could have solved this case years ago but failed to do so. The documentary is less clear, however, on Wells' involvement, although director Trey Borzillieri elicited a confession from Jessica Hoopstick a sex worker who frequently slept with Wells (and later had a baby that Wells likely fathered) who claimed that Wells had no idea when he delivered the pizza to Rothstein's property that a bomb would Mitchell scheduled Hoopsicks hearing for Aug. 16. As a U.S. district judge, he presided over the pizza bomber case, including Diehl-Armstrong's trial in 2010 at the federal courthouse in Erie. It looked like Marjorie could be the only one who had any insight into the case, and thats where the relationship started. digital media solutions memphis, tn; spotlight hour november 2021; what is elizabeth bowen known for; how did jeff shiffrin get a head injury - denmark marriage certificate. Evil Genius on Netflix has become our latest obsession. Wells would have been expecting payment had he lived, a rando would have been an ultimate victim and could have just dropped the money. On September 3, 2008, Barnes pleaded guilty to conspiring to rob a bank and to aiding and abetting. "How to Survive a Plague" (2012): This Oscar-nominated documentary will make your blood boil when you see how the American government and members of the medical community turned their backs on homosexuals and HIV patients during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. 30 Minutes or Less is a 2011 American action comedy film directed by Ruben Fleischer, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari and Nick Swardson. The infamous pizza bomber narrative is as explosive as it soundsalthough filled with more twists and turns than actual pizza. "However, if you look at the bank robbery and the planning of the bank robbery and the designing of the device and the scavenger hunt and the notes, they have more of Mr Rothstein's fingerprints written all over it.". "I can't get my brother back.". Investigators said Rothstein made the time-bomb collar using two egg timers provided by Diehl-Armstrong. Hoopsick, in the documentary, claimed that Wells was innocent and had no involvement in planning the bank robbery that led to his death. In 2003, Wells, a 46-year-old pizza delivery driver from Erie, got involved in a bank robbery and had a homemade bomb strapped around his neck. Please try again. According to an Erie District School psychological study, his verbal IQ was 100 and performance IQ was 120, which was higher than 90 percent of the population. New Details About The Woman From 'Evil Genius' On Netflix, A post shared by Strange Matters Podcast (@strangematterspodcast), 8 Best True Crime Podcasts For People Who Just Love Being Scared, Meet 'Outer Banks' Star Drew Starkey's Rumored Girlfriend & Learn All About His Past Relationships, 'Outer Banks' Star Madelyn Cline Discusses Life With Her Boyfriend After Split From Co-Star Chase Stokes, Francesca Farago Clarifies Her Relationship Status With Her Boyfriend As She Appears On Netflix's 'Perfect Match', Who Is Bill Rothstein? [57], In 2018, Jessica Hoopsick admitted to her involvement in the plot. [5], The responding police officers did not attempt to disarm the device, instead focusing on clearing the immediate area of pedestrians and ensuring Wells could not detonate the device. She was buried at a cemetery in the area. Stockton, known as Jay, was wanted on charges that he raped a 19-year-old developmentally disabled woman in Washington in 2002. Wells' family disputes this account of the events at the television tower; according to them, Wells was accosted at gunpoint by strangers and forced to participate. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. This is the first-known emergency call for the incident. [50] On September 9, the judge determined she was now competent. [2] [23] The crime [ edit] Collar bomb [ edit] Throughout the documentary series, it is alleged that Diehl-Armstrongs had a variety of mental health disorders and sought help numerous times. Jessica Hoopsick, one of Wells' favorite prostitutes, admitted to her involvement in the plot. We do hope that the documentary spawns questions about mental health and that the light that is shining on Marjorie now can we use that light to reflect where we are today with mental health? said Borzillieri. bidvest car rental or tambo contact number; dogs naturally magazine university login; Menu jessica hoopsick child with brian wells. "Jessica Hoopsick eventually gonna tell her son she's the one who gift wrapped his dad to his killers or nah" "I just want to apologize to the family. EXCLUSIVE. I think that Jessica Hoopsick feels a lot of guilt over what happened to Brian and that's why she wants to push the narrative in a direction that makes him look better. By Samantha Maffucci Written on May 18, 2018. RELATED:Who Is Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong? I cant imagine if she was charged in a murder case they would let her sit on the ground . This episode is sad. Police said Butler's body was found on the living room floor at the residence after Thomas called 911 and reported she had killed an individual. His release date is Sept. 10, 2027. When Jessica Hoopsick, a hooker and intimate friend of Wells, was interviewed for 'Evil Genius', she told Trey Borzillieri, co-producer of the series, she was approached to find a "gopher". "I'm angry, I'm hurt, I'm in pain," Butler said in court. It is known as the collar bomb or pizza bomber case. However, the teller explained that she couldn't gather that much money in so little time and only gave him $8,702. Hoopsick was among a few people that Thomas sought out when she wanted to buy crack cocaine after Butler's death, he said. ", "Erie pizza bomber co-plotter Ken Barnes dies in prison", "Unraveling The Mysteries Of The Pizza Bomber", "Man with 'Pizza Bomber' connections dies in WA state", "Another chapter in the Erie pizza bomber case ends as Floyd Stockton dies with 'immunity', "Erie Bomb Victim was the Dupe in a Greedy Plan", "Pizza Deliveryman Who Robbed Bank Had Neck Measured for Bomb Collar", "Erie bomb victim was the dupe in a greedy plan", "Bizarre story of pizza-delivery man blown up by collar-bomb still an enigma eight years later", "Who was the Pizza Bomber? The teller was unable to access the vault that quickly and gave Wells a bag containing $8,702, with which he exited the bank. Swank reported that he texted the number listed and a woman agreed to meet him in the parking lot near the Hampton Inn on Town Square Drive. They just dont want to admit anymore wrongdoings. This was just posted in our local paper. The plot subsequently uncovered has been described as "one of the most complicated and bizarre crimes" in the history of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).[1]. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. [19][20], According to law enforcement reports, Wells participated in the planning of the bank robbery the day before and was aware of the complex plot; he believed the bomb would be fake but would serve as exculpatory evidence if he was caught. [6][10] Her husband and several other partners also died under suspicious circumstances. Law enforcement was really tight-lipped, and Rothstein had died, saidBorzillieri. Is 30 minutes or less a true story? TMZ.com. The only defendant who went to trial in the case. Also Read: Netflix Orders Idris Elba Comedy 'Turn Up Charlie,' Duplass Brothers' True Crime Series 'Evil Genius'. The documentary takes on the mental health system. "I have a lot of remorse for a lot of the stuff I did and a lot of shame and guilt," she. In fact,Borzillieri said that he was the last phone call Diehl-Armstrong made before she died. [15] Rothstein was admitted to the Millcreek Community Hospital on July 23, 2004, having previously been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma showing diffuse, large-cell type myeloproliferative lymphoma, and died on July 30 that year at the age of 60. It hurts me that I could do this to somebody who I cared about, says Jessica Hoopsick, who was Wells prostitute and friend. Here is where some of them are now, including some who are in the grave. She was a key character in "Evil Genius," the docuseries on the pizza bomber case, though her contention that Wells had no idea about the pizza bomber plot goes against most of the other evidence in the case. The death of Brian Wells took place on August 28, 2003, after Wells, a pizza delivery man, robbed a PNC Bank near his hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania, United States. At the bank, Brian Wells handed a teller a note demanding $250,000 within the next 15 minutes. The incident was shown live on television. fucking loser these . Diehl-Armstrong died of breast cancer at 68 on April 4, 2017, while serving her sentence at the Federal Medical Center Carswell, a women's prison near Fort Worth, Texas. Before we go any further, we have to make sure: You've seen "Making a Murderer," right? Furthermore, her statements contradicted each other, he said. Loosely inspired by the Brian Wells case, the plot follows a stoner pizza delivery boy who is forced into wearing a bomb in order to rob a bank. She testified at Diehl-Armstrong's trial. was scrawled at the bottom of the instructions. The inheritance Diehl-Armstrong reportedly coveted was ultimately denied to her. [5], Wells was instructed to "quietly" enter the PNC Bank at Summit Towne Center on Peach Street and give the teller an affixed note demanding $250,000, and to use his shotgun to threaten anyone who did not cooperate or attempted to flee. Schroeder, who wrote and directed Evil Genius, said the team had discussed the confession with current and former investigators at the state and federal level. During her video arraignment Friday before senior Judge Herb Mitchell of Brownsville, Fayette County, who was acting for Flanigan, Hoopsick said she has two convictions for prostitution in Erie and worked within the past year at a sheet metal plant in Beaver County. Deceased (19492017) 7 What was the story of the pizza bomber? McLaughlin resigned his seat on the bench on Aug. 16, 2013, to become executive vice president and general counsel at Erie Insurance Group, where he continues to work. They want to try and make themselves look "good" because they had overlooked so much evidence that could have solved this case years ago but failed to do so. Barnes, 64, who suffers from severe diabetes, is incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center at Butner, North Carolina, near Raleigh. [55][56] In December 2015, Diehl-Armstrong lost a second appeal of her conviction. See additional information. . How to Market Your Business with Webinars. Apparently it was for failure to appear for a prostitution charge. The 4-episode true crime documentary tells the tale of a bank heist plot that resulted in the death of one man, and the start of an endless series of questions, some of which are still unanswered almost 15 years later. Not sure, someone in the comments claimed they knew her and were there for the arrest. He had worked for 10 years at Mamma Mia's Pizza-Ria in Erie and was a Pennsylvania native, not a criminal mastermind. Theres misinformation and theres disinformation within this case, Borzillieri told TheWrap. "The Race to Nowhere" (2010): Remember what it was like to be a kid without any responsibilities? Technically, she could be charged, Schroeder said, but every agency we spoke to said there was no interest.. It took five years of persistence to eventually get her to a place where she was comfortable revealing a deeper truth to the story., Schroeder added, Trey was at the right place at the right time when she wanted to cleanse her conscience, to get her true confession for the first time. Yes but Im torn about this at least she tries to do the right thing eventually. Western Pennsylvania's trusted news source. He was an unindicted co-conspirator in the pizza bomber case because he was dead when a federal grand jury handed up the indictments in July 2007. All Marriage & Divorce results for Hoopsick. She was a key character in "Evil Genius," the docuseries on the pizza bomber case, though her contention that Wells had no idea about the pizza bomber plot goes against most of the other . Prosecutors claimed Wells was in on the heist but thought the bomb was a decoy. "Fed Up" (2014): The tragedy Katie Couric's voiceover presents in this documentary isn't just that both the government and food industry place profit above public health, it's the realization that even those parents who are actually concerned about their children's poor diet have no idea how to eat healthy themselves. He suffered from diabetes and died in prison on June 20, 2019, at the age of 6465.[13]. This was eating her up inside, said Borzillieri, the documentarys co-director and executive producer, who added that Hoopsick was not offered anything in return for her interview. Enter a Melbet promo code and get a generous bonus, An Insight into Coupons and a Secret Bonus, Organic Hacks to Tweak Audio Recording for Videos Production, Bring Back Life to Your Graphic Images- Used Best Graphic Design Software, New Google Update and Future of Interstitial Ads. The pages warned that Wells would be under constant surveillance and any attempts to contact authorities would result in the bomb's detonation. Barnes later pleaded guilty and testified against Diehl-Armstrong. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ETNoneill. [54] In November 2012, the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed her conviction. I have never talked with someone who was as passionate and came across as truthful as our elusive eye witness, said Schroeder. 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